Sunday, January 15, 2023

No Harm, No Foul

This week, the universe reminded me that I should never get too comfortable when things are going well. On Wednesday night, I woke up with a throbbing pain in my back molar. I didn't recall biting down hard on it or anything, so I took some ibuprofen and went back to sleep. The pain returned the next morning and worsened when the day went on, so I finally broke down and called the dentist. Worst case scenario? I have a cracked tooth (there's a crown on it, so she wasn't sure) and will need an extraction. A better case scenario would be that I need a root canal. Either way, it was abcessed and she started me on antibiotics. I continued on around the clock ibuprofen.

By Saturday, the tooth was feeling better, so I was able to run my race (see below). I'm still taking ibuprofen but not as often, and I have an appointment with an endodontist on Thursday. I've never had a toothache until now and I have to say that it is a pain like no other. I think we runners are pretty darn tough and I really had to dig deep to get through the past couple of days. But there was no way I was going to DNS my favorite race!!! My dentist didn't tell me I couldn't run, but I know she wasn't thrilled about it. No one gets us runners, am I right?

Weekly Rundown
Sunday: Ice Age Trail run 8.9 miles
Monday: CrossFit
Tuesday: pool running
Wednesday: trail run 5.6 miles
Thursday: strength training
Friday: yoga with Adriene
Saturday: Frozen Gnome 10k (6.4 miles)

Running

On Sunday, were up at the lake, so I took my trail shoes over to the Gibraltar Segment of the IAT. I wanted some miles, so I parked at the Slack Road trailhead and ran to Gibraltar Rock. There's a connecting road between the 2 segments and sometimes I drive it, but not this time! Running it gives me 2 extra miles and a lot of vert, plus it allows me to pick up some speed on the pavement. Anyhoo, once I got to the trailhead, there was a lot of packed snow on the trail. It was foggy which made everything looks eerily beautiful! It wasn't too cold and there wasn't much wind, so this was an absolutely wonderful run! I shared more photos on my IG if you want to check them out. 


When I got to the trails on Wednesday, the sun was trying to come out and it was already 42 degrees. Sweet! It couldn't be muddy anymore, right? Wrong! Our March-like weather brought March-like trail conditions. I didn't mind even thought he slick conditions kept me moving slowly and I had a few near wipeouts. I stayed upright and that was a win. It was pretty peaceful in the woods, save for a herd of deer that went flying by me! I love seeing their tails bouncing as they run. 



On Saturday morning, I lined up for my second race of the year, the Frozen Gnome 10k, a trail race I have run the past 2 years. I'll post a separate recap once the photos are available, but here's a brief summary: It was 23 degrees at the start, which is always jarring, but once we got moving I got in a grove. The trails were mostly bare with a little snow cover in spots. I will say that my IAT running in Wisconsin had me well-prepared for the ups and downs of this course. I finished first in my AG and that felt good!


CrossFit/Strength Training

The WOD today continues with 'open prep', which means us mere mortals also get a taste of what the elite athletes do. We're doing barbell cycling and for the Strength/Skill portion, we worked on snatches, 12 in rapid succession. This meant we had to use lighter weights than we normally would--I used 35#. I did ok on the first 9 reps, but I started to get tired, and my form kind of went bad, lol. We did 4 sets of this alternating with 15 GHD sit ups. The MetCon was a 16 minute AMRAP of 500m rowing, 16 KBS, 12 Goblet lunges, and 8 KB snatches. We had to use the same KB for all the movements, so I used 20#. Believe me, this got hard in a hurry. I did 3 full rounds and a 4th round of rowing before time was called.  After I cooled down, I stayed to do that pull/push workout that I mentioned in my last post


Thursday was the day to challenge my back squat 1 rep max. In January 2020, I participated in the gym's powerlifting meet and hit a 1 RM of 160# on the back squat. I hoped to do that again. SJ programmed my strength training with that goal in mind. I had a really good strength cycle this time and also was able to quiet those negative voices that made me afraid of heavy squats. As she piled on the plates, she had me do single lifts, increasing incrementally, until I reached a weight that my legs would not let me lift. I  bailed on it with a groan and she laughed--it was 165#. My last successful rep was 157.5# and I was happy with that. Why didn't SJ just put 160# on the bar? She told me she didn't want me to tie my record. She also told me how proud she was of me for pushing myself beyond my fear. Making my coach happy? Priceless. 

Good News!

I've known this for a while but am finally able to share that I was selected again to be a member of the Brooks Run Happy Team! I was both pleased and surprised to be asked back, as I mentioned after going to Camp Run Happy that the team really skewed toward younger runners. But hey, they want to be all-inclusive and that includes us old runners too! I'm excited to see what they have planned for us this year and I'm very excited to be a part of this group once again!


So in spite of my dental issue, it was a really good week overall! How about you? How was your week? Any good news? Any races? Any challenges? 

I'm linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Rundown. 







43 comments :

  1. Yay I am so excited for you and can't wait to hear more about your trail race! Bummer on the tooth though. Hope that is nothing serious. Looking forward to another year of running happy together!

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    1. I'm just grateful that I'm not having any pain today. We'll see what the endodontist has to say later this week.

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  2. Ugh, sorry about the dental issue. That is no fun at all and yeah the pain is something else. Congrats on making the Brooks team again. I'm glad they see value in having "older" members. I think brands in general have been great about representing diversity in race and body size but not so much with age. That needs to change.

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    1. Brooks added a couple more 'older' runners, so I'm really excited about that!

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  3. Congrats on your age group win at the Frozen Gnome 10K. I need to run that race to get the finisher's medal to go with my ever-growing gnome collection!

    In regards to your dentist not being happy about you running in the race... My motto is to not ask permission, but rather ask for forgiveness afterward. ;-)

    I hope you get some much needed relief from your dental pain quickly!

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  4. Congrats on winning your age group! Hope you get that tooth taken care of soon.
    Our rain continues but I was able to get on the trails for a bit on Friday which made me really happy. Good news = we leave next Sunday for Hawaii. Les will celebrate 10 years with his employer and I'm hoping for lots of good running weather.

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    1. We were watching golf yesterday and they were playing in Hawaii. Can I come with you? :p

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  5. Congratulations on the AG win!!! I'm looking forward to hearing about that race. I also had an amazing trail run this week that looked quite different from yours. And those squats- I have to laugh because I felt good that I put 10 lb plates on the bar last week! Oh well... baby steps. I hope the tooth situation resolves soon- glad it didn't keep you from your race.

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    1. As of today, I have zero tooth pain! So I'm hoping it's not cracked. I don't want to lose the tooth.

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  6. All this with a toothache??? You are unstoppable! So proud of your AG win and all your other awesomeness! That trail looked muddy but it seemed better than last year!

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    1. Ibuprofen for the win!!! And today, I haven't needed to take anything at all.

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  7. Wow, that toothache really sounds nasty! I've never had anything like that (knock wood), but the hubs had an abscess and needed a root canal many years ago. He'd flown home from a trip and it had throbbed like crazy while in flight, then he spent the ENTIRE night whining in bed (so neither of us got any sleep). Hope you have a better end result!

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    1. No whining here! I just want it fixed. Thank goodness it is feeling better.

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  8. UGH! A toothache is the awful... I hope it gets resolved quickly. But congrats on your race... you are AMAZING!!!

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    1. You are too kind! I am paying for my effort today, but I could not be happier with how I ran that race!

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  9. Ugh, the toothache sounds nasty! Sorry - hope you feel better soon. Wtg on that race -- you must be thrilled! Great job!

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    1. You know I am, but more so because I ran such a strong race on a hard course!

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  10. Congrats on your AG! You continue to crush it on the trails. And, yay for another year of running happy :)

    Toothaches are the worst - hope you're able to get the situation resolved quickly.

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    1. I'm just happy I was able to run my race so well yesterday!!! Yes, i'm loving the trails!

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  11. What a bummer with the tooth, eww! Hope you can get help with it asap! That's brave going out running despite the tooth abscess. Your squat session looks and sounds absolutely savage and I love the sound of powerlifting meet! :D Well done.

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    1. I think that strength training has really helped me push through pain and other tough things. Definitely a benefit besides building strength.

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  12. Teeth - What A Bummer My Friend - Lovely Sweeter There And Fabulous Smile - Congrats On The Group Once Again - Rock On

    Cheers

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    1. My teeth have given me trouble all my life. I've had about a 5 year respite, so I guess it was time. Hoping that the fix isn't major!

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    2. Hello My Friend - As Kids, Our Family Would Refer To The Urge For Urination As Our Kidneys Are Floating - Classic A - Thanx For Checking In - Be Well

      Cheers

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  13. Congratulations on Brooks. I feel you on dental pain. I've been there with crown/extraction/root canal. Best of luck with yours. Frozen Gnome, I love that race name

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  14. Congrats on being on the #RunHappy Team again... I am a bit jealous ;) I think it's awesome that they ask runners of different ages to be part of it.

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    1. It was a great experience last year and I can't wait to see what they have planned for us!

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  15. We've hardly started the year and you are crushing it with your races!! Well done, Wendy!!
    I can't wait to get back to Crossfit at the end of this week. You did so well with that backsquat - it will take a while until I can even get anywhere close to your level. How many years have you been lifting?
    You are so inspiring to me!

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    1. I have been lifting for about 8-9 years. I kept getting injuries and after consulting both a running coach and the owner of the CrossFit box, I realized that strength training was the right path. Best.Decision.Ever!

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  16. Congrats on your race and on the Brooks team! I hope that tooth issue gets resolved. Tooth pain is one of the worst.

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  17. Toothache is the worst, because it's just there in your head! Argh! I had a dentist say running was bad for your teeth because they might jar against each other in some way - what? I thought good because you're doing weight-bearing exercise and it promotes calcium production! Anyway. Well done on the AG win, that's superb! And the Brooks - my friend Rahema over here just got re-confirmed, too.

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    1. I'm so happy for your friend! Regarding the dentist--have you ever noticed that they are never happy with the way you care for your teeth?

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  18. Good luck on the tooth issues. I know what you are going through because my husband is in the process of getting an implant. I didn't know it was such a long process! He is really looking forward to it all being completed.
    Great job on the race!! And congrats on the return to the Brooks team. Well deserved!

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    1. The hubs also shared that his tooth implant experience took a ridiculously long time. What is up with those TV ads that promise it's all done in one visit?

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  19. Well the dishwasher seems to be working quite well, that's my good news. Congrats on your AG win! Sorry about the tooth. My teeth are pretty good, but hey, everything changes as we age. And my sister has really crappy teeth. Go figure.

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  20. That's such a bummer about the tooth pain. I 100% agree with you that tooth pain is no joke - I felt like it was worse than some of my running injuries.
    Congrats on another year on the Brooks Run Happy team! They are lucky to have you :)

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  21. Sorry to hear about the tooth. Dental issues are so painful because of the proximity to nerver endings, so I was told once long ago. Have had 3 root canals. Hope things improve for you and that running the race didn't make matters worse for you. Wondered if the pounding would infact do that. Good luck and hope you're back to normal soon. Congrats on being on Brooks Team.
    <a href="https://4ccccs.blogspot.com/2023/01/starts-and-finishes-with-knitting-and.html>Sandy's Spaced</a>

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    1. By race day, I felt pretty good! Getting that root canal today.

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